


Take Me (As Long As They Stay)

by icabyppup



Series: Whumptober 2019 [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, BAMF Peter Parker, Explosion, Gen, He deserves more appreciation, Hurt, Hurt Peter Parker, People really appreciate what Spidey does, Peter Parker Deserves Better, Peter Parker Feels, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Protective James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Protective Peter Parker, Self-Sacrifice, So I'm giving him some better, Whump, Whumptober, Whumptober 2019, because goddaMMIT
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-02-01 01:29:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21314488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icabyppup/pseuds/icabyppup
Summary: Peter had always been told he was too self-sacrificingorPeter is a self-sacrificing idiot and finally gets some of the appreciation he deserves
Relationships: Peter Parker & Amazing Civilians, Peter Parker & James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Whumptober 2019 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1506629
Comments: 26
Kudos: 393





	Take Me (As Long As They Stay)

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who took until the second week of November to post their second whumptober oneshot?   
Yeah, it's me.
> 
> A ginormous, massive, insane thank you for CaraIsTrash and RookieRepoterZ for betaing and screaming with me <3 <3

Peter had always been told he was too self-sacrificing. But swinging into a disaster zone, that was the last thing he was thinking of.

Some madman had detonated a bomb on the west side of Times Square, and the ensuing chaos – alongside the suspicions of another bomb – had Iron Man dialling in a team. Peter patched through to the comms as he headed towards the epicentre of the turmoil.

“ -we need crowd control, the panic is going to cause more injuries than the explosion at this rate. Plus, we gotta get people outta the area – police sent me a tip that another bomb has been planted, maybe more than that. Spidey, you’re on evac,”

“Cool, will do.”

Peter vacantly listened to the rest of the information, but largely tuned out the chatter in the comms as he focussed on the evacuation. In situations such as this, it wasn’t uncommon for him to be consigned to crowd control. He practically had his masters in it already, and was steadily heading for a PhD. Spiderman looks out for the little guy - that was his deal, his passion, what he was out here to do - so Peter had no problem with his inordinate degree of people-moving experience. Down in the thick of it, he could protect people. That was all he wanted, really.

In under 10 minutes, Spiderman had the surrounding area cleared of stray civilians. Maybe he was panting, out of breath from doing laps of the square and giving directions the whole time, but people were safe now.

The comms hissed, filling his head with fuzzing static and the voice of War Machine, “Spidey? We’ve got some people trapped in the debris. I could use some help over here.”

“Got it, I’m on my way. What’s the situation?”

Rhodey sucked in a breath through his teeth, “It’s not looking great – we’ve got at least three people stuck under a lot of loose rubble. By the looks of it, they were partially shielded by someone’s car when it all came down – that and a prayer is the only thing keeping the whole thing up. It’s a tricky one, but we can’t get any experts in until we’ve caught the guy who caused this whole shitshow.”

The two heroes slowly began the delicate process of excavation, reassuring the victims and attempting to ignore the manhunt that was playing out in the communications channel. One small misstep would send the whole pile of debris crashing down, almost definitely killing the people that they were attempting to rescue. They had just painstakingly created their first breach in the rubble when Iron Man passed overhead and Tony’s voice screeched over the comms with an intensified urgency.

“There’s definitely at least one more bomb. We got the guy responsible for this whole mess – he set off two, only one actually detonated. That means we’ve either gotten off lightly or there’s a faulty explosive somewhere that could go live any minute. With our luck, that means something is coming crashing down at any second.”

“Got it, Tones. We’re just starting to make a dent in our rescue attempts – you’d better find that bomb quickly, ‘cause we can’t get the experts in here until then.”

“I’m trying, but in case you couldn’t tell, this is kind of like looking for an explosive needle in one huge concrete haystack.”

Peter continued to dig at the rubble with his hands, wearing down the fabric of his gloves and leaving bloody smears on the concrete. The stinging would subside, his cuts would heal, but these people wouldn’t get any do-overs if they died.

“Spiderman? Are you there?” The voice was hoarse and muted by the rubble, but still audible. Peter had been making an effort to communicate with the trapped people, and so far it had seemed to mollify their fear somewhat.

“Don’t worry, I’m here. Is that Rose?”

He had learned that the victims were called Sarah, Matthew and Rose. Sarah was studying engineering and had a cat named Poppy, Matthew worked as a lawyer three blocks from the disaster zone, had a boyfriend named Jesse and was currently supposed to be in court, and Rose was a midwife with two children named Amy and Lewis - Amy was 9 and Lewis was 7.

Peter made a promise to himself that these people would see their loved ones again.

“Matthew’s leg has bled through our makeshift bandaging. We’re doing our best to slow the bleeding, but he’s not looking too good. The light is really helping, though.”

“Okay Rose, don’t worry. We’ll get you guys out of there. How stable does the area around the hole look from your side?” Peter continued to talk his progress through with them as he slowly widened the fissure, and Rhodey worked to remove larger chunks of concrete. They were several hours in and Peter was exhausted. The chatter almost reflexive at this point, the static fuzz of the comms and sensation of rubble on his hands going on and on as he entered an almost trance-like state, concentrated on rescuing a promising student, an emerging lawyer and a badass mother.

Vacantly, Peter became aware of a faint sound in his peripheral. A monotonous ticking began creeping through his awareness, slowly becoming louder. Something about its quality slowly sparked his brain back to life.

Far too late, he realised that he had found the last explosive in his sift through the rubble.

There was no opportunity for shock or fear to set in, only pure adrenaline and gut instinct.

People were always telling him that he was too self-sacrificing. That he needed to take better care of himself. He had no problem looking after himself, really. The problem was when he had to draw the line between himself and others. Because, logically, he _knows_ that he needs to look after himself to be able to look after them – and, you know, that he should look after himself _because reasons. _And Peter tries to do that, he really does. But in the thick of it, when someone needs help? Well, what makes him more important than them?

The essence of the issue, really, was that when push comes to shove Peter would put others before himself every time.

Cradling the bomb, he scrambled off the mound of debris – away from Rhodey, Sarah, Matthew and Rose - and desperately leapt for the opposite side of the street, trying to put as much distance as he possibly could between him and the others. Them and the explosion.

Because ultimately, in the second his time ran out, he and the explosion were one in the same. The electricity of the detonation coursed through his every cell, seizing all it touched with white lightning. A wave of something that could only be described as _pressure_ hit him with the sudden, jolting force of a truck travelling at 90km/h down a steep hill, flinging him into the air like a leaf caught in a strong wind. 

For endless moments he was weightless, fire tearing through every part of his body, consuming him as though he was pure oxygen feeding the flames he somehow knew were all around. He was nothing. He was light and blinding colour and the endless ringing in his ears as he crashed brutally into something solid and unrelenting. He was absently aware of the cracking of bones he didn’t think he had anymore because he was only particles, scattered in the breeze and slowly dispersing until the last dregs of his consciousness floated away on the charcoal-scented wind.

…

In the aftermath of the explosion, the world became a blur of light and movement. Rose, Sarah and Matthew were broken out of their rubble prison and ushered into waiting ambulances. Rose insisted on staying with Matthew, holding his hand as the paramedics planted an IV and stitched up his leg. When his boyfriend arrived she hugged them both, exchanged numbers and went straight over to Sarah. Together, they facetimed Rose’s kids in the back of the ambulance to assure them that Mummy was okay. Sarah couldn’t drive with her concussion, so Rose’s husband picked them both up. The women exchanged numbers over a family dinner.

Rose was a mother. It was more than just the biological, and she had been a mother long before Amy was born - evidenced by the tabby kitten she nursed when she was 14, the assortment of animals predating it and the hours upon hours of volunteer work with children and teenagers. Mothering was in her nature, and she was a force to be reckoned with when she had someone in her sights.

Rose strode into the foyer of Stark Tower with her head held high, a force to be reckoned with.

The poor receptionist stood no chance.

She caved in under 10 minutes, and Rose saw the moment she tried to discreetly call a more senior member of staff. She mentally celebrated the victory as the lift doors opened and none other than Colonel Rhodes stepped out. _Far _more senior than she’d expected, and perfect for her cause. She stepped towards him, shoulders squared, and held out a hand.

“Rose Hanaar.”

The colonel was slightly taken aback, but moved past it immediately, taking her hand in a firm grip.

“Colonel Rhodes.”

“Thank you for rescuing us,” she let some of the sincerity she felt bleed into her voice, but not too much. After all, she was here with a purpose.

Something that looked like pain _\- regret? - _mixed with recognition flitted across the man’s features. 

“I appreciate that ma’am, but I can only take so much of the credit. Spiderman was integral in your rescue. He deserves your thanks far more than I do.”

“He does deserve thanks. That’s why I want to see him.” 

The Colonel didn’t attempt to hide the shock that overtook his demeanor, however it only took a second for something to harden underneath the surprise.

“Ma’am, I’m sure you can understand that I can’t allow you to see him.”

“I understand why you would be hesitant in letting anyone in, but you certainly have the power to decide if anyone could.”

Their gazes met, and Rose was not backing down. 

“Ma’am, please…” Rhodey rubs at the crease in his brows wearily, “be reasonable.”

“That child is where he is right now because he saved us. There is no way in hell I am leaving him to lie in a hospital bed on his own,” quite unintentionally, she let some of her protective mother’s fierceness leak into her voice. 

Rhodey’s gaze softened minutely, “You have 10 minutes, _supervised, _don’t make me regret this,”

“Just let me make a couple calls first.”

…

Peter was only _slightly _loopy on pain meds when Rhodey manhandled him into his mask, which was the main reason why he didn’t resist it _or _have time to question it before his room was filled with people. 

The first person in brought with her and aura of strength and determination which her short stature did nothing to diminish; her dark skin and shoulder length hair practically radiated confidence and Peter felt instantly at ease. The woman next to her stood at least a head taller, but far less confidently. Her long blonde hair hung like a curtain, the effect only slightly spoiled by the pen slipping out from behind her ear. The man behind them had neat brown hair and wore a pale blue button-up shirt, and had a wide bandage wrapped around his calf. He looked very put together, his tight grip on his phone the only thing giving away his nervousness. Despite never having seen their faces before, they were accompanied by a sense of familiarity.

“Hey Spidey,” it was the blonde girl who spoke first, her words accompanied by a shy wave. Her voice sent Peter back to _rubble and blood and panic and ticking ticking ticking-_

“Sarah?”

She ducked a nod, holding his gaze even as she shyly tucked her hair behind her ear and fixed the slipping pen.

“Matthew? Rose?”

From behind the women, Matthew smiled, “Yep.”

Rose stepped towards the bed, and lent down next to him, “Surprise! We’re here to thank you for saving our lives,” she smiled warmly - _maternally_ \- at him. “Can I give you a hug?”

“Yes,” Peter just managed to reply through the emotion filling his throat.

Peter spent the afternoon with them. After all of the hugging and thanks were finished, Rose settled on the chair next to his bed. Sarah sprawled cross-legged on the floor and Matthew (at Peter’s command) perched on the end of the hospital bed. They chatted as the lights grew brighter and the sky darker outside Peter’s window. Rose FaceTimed her kids, and Peter teared up at their childlike excitement and Amy’s heartfelt thanks for saving her Mother - she was old enough to understand the events of the other day. Then Matthew called his boyfriend and Peter couldn’t hold back the tears when Jesse thanked him over and over for not only Matthew, but everyone’s lives he had saved (Peter later blamed the drugs for his lack of emotional control). Then Sarah video called her roommate and asked her to get her cat on camera, and the occupants of the room all laughed at Poppy’s begrudging attitude. 

When the time came for them to leave (far later than Rhodey’s 10 minute limit) Peter had Matthew, Sarah and Rose’s numbers and they, in return, had his superhero number. Far more valuable than that, they left Peter with a warm, buzzing happiness that stayed with him in his hospital room until he was discharged. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading my mess! <3 I'd really appreciate a comment, even if it's just an emoji - every single emoji really makes my day!


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